WATER IN CA 



Sv CALVIN COFFEY, C. E. 



P 



FAMILIES living in 

 the country may have 

 spring or well water 

 under their own con- 

 trol ; but although 

 the spring and well 

 are simple things 

 some care is neces- 

 sary in order to get 

 a good quality of water from them. 

 Careless people when they find a per- 

 manent wet spot on the surface ground 

 follow it into the earth for a distance 

 of four or five feet and dig a large 

 hole, and wall it with loose stones ; 

 possibly it is provided with a make- 

 shift cover ; but the small openings be- 

 tween the stones become the abode of 

 salamanders and frogs. 



During dry weather the water comes 

 from the vein or veins into the sides or 

 bottom of the spring and it should 

 keep the walled enclosure full up to 

 the outlet, in which case the water 

 will be absorbed by the ground ; but 

 when a storm comes the conditions 

 are reversed. The earth gets over sat- 

 urated with water, which passes be- 

 tween the stones of the wall into the 

 spring, carrying all impurities with it. 

 When the vein extends downward 

 into the ground or even into the loose 

 rock, dig the spring five or six feet 

 deep, which will give quite a body of 

 water for fire purposes and admit of a 

 pipe below the frost line. 



When the excavation is complete and 

 a wall of brick or stone laid in Portland 

 cement, the sides will be water-tight ; 

 now put clean earth or clay behind the 

 masonry and tamp it solidly to pre- 

 vent the surface water from working- 

 down and under the wall. Although 

 it is customary to build the spring wall 

 circular, if you make yours square, it 

 will be more convenient to cover. 



Carry the masonry a few inches 



above the surface and cap it with hard 

 pine, oak or chestnut frame, fastened 

 by iron bolts anchored in the masonry. 

 This frame should be imbedded in 

 cement and should be level on top so 

 as to admit of being tightly covered. 



Make the cover in three sections, as 

 in Figure i, attach the center one to one 

 of the outside sections by three hinges. 

 Fasten the two outside sections down 

 with screws to the wooden capping. 

 This makes it convenient to move 

 when it is necessary to make repairs or 

 to clean the spring. Leave an opening 

 in the cover near the top edge and fit 

 it with fine mesh metal netting to keep 

 out mosquitoes and other creatures. 

 The spring will then be provided with 

 ventilation, which is very important. 



If the spring is situated on a side hill 

 the cover should slope with the surface 

 of the ground. If the surface of the 

 ground be flat, give the cover a slight 

 pitch to carry ofT the rain water. 



Some people are fortunate enough to 

 have a spring situated on an elevation 

 so that the water can be piped into the 

 house to supply the basins and tubs by 



FIG. I 



gravity. Under such conditions, ar- 

 rangements for drawing the water off 

 for cleaning the spring and disposing 

 of the overflow are easily provided. 



In Figure 2, G represents the surface 

 of the ground, A the spring, H the 

 waste pipe for drawing down the 

 spring, S the pipe line running to the 

 house, and D the overflow. Make the 

 overflow pipe (d) at least twelve feet 

 long to avoid making a wet place near 

 the spring. 



